“That sign you have out the front of your church…” said the unidentified female voice on the call I’d just taken, “what’s this Women helping Women all about anyway?..”
I explained the concept and she said, “Well that really is brilliant, I never attend church but if that is what you people are on about them I’m interested.”
A struggle for thinking believers is, ‘How do we combine evangelism with social action that is apt and effective?’. It’s a great question.
‘Women helping Women’ was an idea that our outreach pastor, Deb Gould, developed for Mother’s Day. The original concept came for a parishioner.
Normally we make a big deal of Mother’s Day and hand out small but tasteful gifts (all with some kind of evangelistic edge) to every woman who attends. You probably do too.
This time ‘round we gave ‘Women helping Women’ a fly. The idea is simple. A group of women spend a Saturday afternoon preparing ‘care packages’ for other women in refuges or in situations of need (as assessed by Anglicare).
The packages (beautifully prepared cellophane-wrapped pink boxes) comprised soaps, shampoo, moisturiser, women’s magazines, a hairbrush and a range of other helpful personal items. Included also was a little Luke’s gospel, a beautiful picture frame, Simon Manchester’s, ‘I’d feel bad if you didn’t know…’ tract and information about the church.
A lovely hand made card - with a personal hand-written greeting from the packer was placed in every box.
Now the ‘value added’ bit was that parishioners had invited their non-Christian friends to be a part of the ‘assembly line’. As the women and their guests worked, Deb Gould gave a pithy evangelistic message, ‘Rest for the Weary’ (Matthew 28:11).
The ‘workers’ enjoyed champagne and orange juice and range of desserts to follow. The women were all asked to the Invitation Service the next day. And some turned up (with their spouses)!
If you want further info concerning this or other outreach ideas, courses and programs contact Deb at debbie.gould@stpauls.org.au
Stuart Robinson is the National Mission Facilitator for the Anglican Church of Australia and the rector of St Paul’s Anglican Church, Chatswood.
